Highland County

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Highland County: 0.
2. Weak tornadoes were under-recorded before Doppler radar coverage became national in the early 1990s, so earlier decades read low. Ratings use the Fujita scale before February 2007 and the Enhanced Fujita scale after.

Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, 1950 to 2025.

Every storm within 100 miles

1. Tropical storms and hurricanes (34 kt or more, still tropical) at closest approach. Post-tropical remnants with gale-force winds are listed but not counted. Direct: track within 50 miles; near: within 100 miles. Distance is measured to the county boundary for counties and to the city centre for cities, using positions interpolated hourly between HURDAT2 fixes.

National Hurricane Center HURDAT2, 1851 to 2025.

Smoke overhead

1. A smoke day is a date on which a smoke plume traced by NOAA Hazard Mapping System analysts from satellite imagery covered this place's point (the county's population centre or the city centre). Counts here are of medium or heavy smoke. Since 2018 analysts have often drawn light smoke as one area over most of the continent, so light-smoke counts are not comparable from year to year. The plumes show smoke anywhere in the air above, not air quality at the ground, and smoke hidden by cloud is missed.

NOAA Hazard Mapping System smoke analysis, 2011 to 2026, retrieved October 30, 2026.

This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).

OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026. NOAA Storm Events through 2026.

1. The Palmer Drought Severity Index is computed by NOAA each month from the county's average temperature and precipitation, relative to the county's own climate. Zero is normal; -3 or lower is severe drought and -4 or lower extreme drought. It describes the long-term balance of moisture, not water supply or crop losses.

NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county Palmer Drought Severity Index, 1895 to September 2026, issued October 6, 2026.

Every earthquake of magnitude 4 or more within 50 miles

1. Earthquakes of magnitude 2.5 or more in the USGS Comprehensive Catalog since 1900. Within 50 miles means the epicentre lies within 50 miles of the county boundary (or inside the county).
2. Small earthquakes were under-recorded before the modern seismic networks of the 1970s and are still missed in remote areas, so early decades read low. Magnitudes are as the catalogue reports them and mix scales (moment, local and body-wave).

USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog, 1900 to present, retrieved October 30, 2026.

More event types since 1996

Costliest events since 1996

1. Sep 14, 2008High Wind, Highland$5.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Strong winds of 40 to 50 miles per hour were sustained for several hours. Wind gusts over 60 mph were common. Widespread damage occurred across the region, from trees being blown down on powerlines, to significant crop losses and structural damage.

2. Mar 3, 2023Tornado$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The tornado first touched down in a field southwest of Certier Road, about three miles northeast of Buford. This tornado affected a property on Certier Road, causing significant damage to several barns, with winds estimated to 90 mph. From here, the tornado generally moved to the north-northeast.||Tree damage and minor structural damage was noted on Ruble Cemetery Road and Hollowtown Road. More significant damage was noted at a couple of properties on State Route 131. One home had an attached garage that was compromised by the wind and detached from the main structure of the house, mostly flattening the walls of the garage. Significant roof and tree damage was also found at a…

3. Jan 6, 1996Winter Storm, Highland$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The Blizzard of '96 developed near the Gulf Coast and moved up the East Coast. This massive system produced the greatest total and 24 hour snowfall at Greater Cincinnati\Northern Kentucky airport. This one storm brought 14.3 inches of snowfall to the airport which normally receives 23 inches for an entire season. The heaviest snow fell near the Ohio river in the extreme south. The worst blizzard conditions occurred over West Central areas as dry and powdery snow was blown around by high winds causing whiteouts. Some areas had more than 30 continuous hours of snowfall, and many people in Southern Ohio felt this was the worst winter storm since the Blizzard of '78. In Fayette…

4. Mar 2, 1997Heavy Rain$400,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Rocky Fork Lake came out of it's banks causing damage to the local state park and flooding 3 homes.

5. Aug 17, 2016Flash Flood$300,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Ohio State Route 785, just south of Belfast, had a culvert underneath it washed out, which washed away the road. The road will be closed for 2 to 3 months.

6. Jun 4, 2014Tornado$300,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The tornado touched down in an open field west of State Route 134, south of Dodsonville. Next to the highway, minor structural damage occurred to a farm building. Heavy tree damage occurred on both sides of Route 134, some of which impacted a home. The tornado continued across the property of Lynchburg-Clay schools. An open-ended storage shed sustained roof removal and partial wall collapse. The high school had a garage door blown out with the interior ceiling collapsing in a narrow hallway. Numerous large branches were snapped on the property, some of which impacted automobiles. Bleachers, a backstop, and other athletic equipment were tossed downstream. A portable toilet was…

7. Dec 22, 2004Winter Storm, Highland$225,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A surface and upper level low pressure center tracked northeast across the Ohio Valley on Wednesday, December 22nd and exited the region on the 23rd. A swath of heavy snow cut through southeast Indiana and into the Miami Valley of Ohio. 24 hour storm totals in this narrow band exceeded 2 feet in Preble and Darke counties. Snowfall totals of 20 inches or more were found along a line generally running from Eaton to Greenville, Piqua, Sidney, and Bellefontaine. Along and west of the I-71 corridor between Cincinnati and Columbus...over 8 inches of snow fell. East of this line, warm air infiltrated the lower layers of the atmosphere and brought periods of freezing rain and sleet during…

8. Mar 3, 2023Tornado$100,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   This short-lived tornado is believed to have touched down near Panhandle Road, just west of Wolfe Road. One house on Panhandle Road had siding damage on the east-facing wall. A shed behind another home was largely demolished, with debris strewn about a quarter mile into the field to the north-northeast.||A few homes on Wolfe Road had roof and siding damage. One home even had damage to the siding on both the east and north facing walls. Some minor tree damage was observed near a bend in Wolfe Road with no additional damage observed further to the north.

9. Oct 16, 2021Tornado$100,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Damage associated with the tornado began east of U.S. 62 and consisted of uprooted trees and large snapped limbs. The first structural damage was observed north of Selph Road near Lewis Lane, where a large portion of roof covering was removed from an outbuilding. Additional tree damage was observed along Lewis Lane. Due to no road availability, there was a length of unreachable damage likely stretching around 1 mile between Lewis Lane and Kincaid Road to the east. A structure on the east side of Kincaid Road sustained side wall damage associated with a garage door failure. The tornado continued east, crossing State Route 138 and causing tree damage and additional minor structural…

10. May 21, 2010Tornado$100,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    The tornado touched down in the vicinity of Highway 32 and Klein Road in Brown County. The tornado crossed into Highland County just west of Sicily Road. The tornado lifted in Highland County near Highway 321, southeast of Buford. The worst damage occurred to a residence on Sicily Road in Highland County. A section of roofing was removed from part of the home, the front porch supports were lifted and removed, numerous trees were uprooted near the residence, and a piece of wood was driven into decking material. Several other barns and outbuildings were destroyed or heavily damaged along the path. Based on the damage caused by this tornado, wind speeds were estimated at 100 miles…

1. Storm Events records before 1996 cover only tornadoes, thunderstorm wind and hail. Damage figures are as reported by the National Weather Service at the time, not adjusted for inflation.

NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 1950 to 2026, issued October 26, 2026.

All-time high

105°F2 times, most recently Jul 4, 1897

All-time low

−30°FFeb 10, 1899

Warmest night

80°FJul 6, 1977

Coldest day

−8°FJan 19, 1994

Wettest day

7.20 inJul 23, 1965

Snowiest day

15.5 inFeb 5, 1998

Hottest year

1949mean 55.6°F

Coldest year

1917mean 48.6°F

Wettest year

201162.93 in

Driest year

190123.36 in

Snowiest season

51.6 in1925-26

Station Hillsboro (USC00333758), 953 ft elevation, 1.8 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1893 to October 20, 2026; 92.9% of days in the last 30 years are complete. Records at a single station can differ from a city’s official threaded record, which may combine several stations.

NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily.

This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).

OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries, retrieved October 30, 2026. Statewide declarations are not listed.

Neighbouring counties

• Tornadoes NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, through 2025.
• Tropical cyclones NOAA National Hurricane Center HURDAT2 (Atlantic; Northeast and Central Pacific), through 2025.
• Wildfire USGS/USFS Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity, through 2026.
• Storm events NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, through 2026.
• Flood insurance OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026.
• Declarations OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Weather records NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily, station USC00333758.
• River crests NOAA National Weather Service, National Water Prediction Service river gauges, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Drought NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county Palmer Drought Severity Index, through September 2026.
• Smoke NOAA NESDIS Hazard Mapping System smoke analysis, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Earthquakes USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog (ComCat), retrieved October 30, 2026.

Joins, thresholds and known limits are set out in the methodology. Found an error? Report it. Page built October 30, 2026.